The Best Bars in Milan — 8 Iconic Drinking Spots You'll Regret Not Knowing While Planning a Camera Roll-Worthy Aperitivo

Few cities have a chicer drinking culture than Milan, and that's for a reason. The home of world-leading opera house La Scala, the city owes its spirited aperitivo tradition to the elegant pre-performance social gatherings that brought its affluent socialites and foremost geniuses, from author Alessandro Manzoni and poet Vincenzo Monti to composer Giuseppe Verdi and conductor Umberto Toscanini, together from the 18th century.

But it was only when Futurism — the era-defining art movement founded by Italian intellectual Filippo Tommaso Marinetti as a celebration of the beauty and machine-aided dynamism of the modern world — struck in 1909 that the real cocktail revolution began. With artist Fortunato Depero's timeless design of the Campari Soda bottle in 1932, the world earned its first single-serve aperitif, and the Italian design capital an iconic beverage that continues to lift people's spirits to this day, featuring as the defining touch in drinks like Spritz and Americano.

Visit any of the best Milan bars at any hour of the day, even better if right before lunch or dinner time, and you will be met by crowds jollily bathing in the sunshine from their scenic terraces or else soaking up the vibrancy of their stylishly decorated rooms in the coldest months. You could say that the secret to such widely beloved institutions' evergreen popularity lies in their connection to the city's cultural past, which is reworked into both their time-traveling ambiance and mixology efforts. Need an example? Think of Bar Basso, one of the best bars in Milan for the design-conscious crowd, which, since opening in 1947, has been elevated to the ultimate meeting point for creative minds by the likes of Jasper Morrison, Marc Newson, and James Irvine, having successfully turned an accident into its epiphany (it is here that bartender Mirko Stocchetto invented the Negroni Sbagliato while mistakenly adding prosecco to Campari and sweet vermouth instead of gin).

With hundreds of hotspots dotting the city in its entirety, from the youth-inhabited Navigli to stuccoed and mosaiced Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, securing a stay at one of the best Milan hotels won't be enough to make the most of its nightlife. That's why I looked far and wide for places to drink in Milan that stay true to its culturally alive, inspiring entertainment heritage, whether through inventive recipes or striking interiors. Selected for their unique contribution to design, these are the best bars in Milan to indulge in the joy of aperitivo hour like only the Milanese do.

Club Giovanile Milano

Via Antonio Raimondi, 15, 20156 Milano MI

One of my favorite parts about compiling lists like this edit of bars in Milan is getting to share previously overlooked, or completely unknown, sides of a city with our readers. Sited in a former villa from 1900 in the heart of the Milano Certosa District, an expanding area recently redeveloped as a platform for avant-garde gastronomy, lifestyle, and creativity, Club Giovanile Milano (CGM) is one of the newest, most imaginative nightlife destinations in the design capital. Conceived by OTS Studio, its grungy rooms were developed so as to embrace the building's past while simultaneously exploiting its contemporary potential.

Offering an uplifting take on industrial interior design, the venue's exposed, 'lived' cement walls, loft-style ceiling, and distressed tiled flooring beautifully dialogue with its boldest accents, from the rose-tinted neon sconces that transform the space at night to the bold chrome decor detailing of the bar counter. Here, people are welcomed across two floors, where lunches, aperitifs, dinners, and live concerts, as well as DJ sets, accompany visitors late into the night, alongside experimentally assembled, bespoke cocktails and drinks and an ever-changing, seasonal menu inspired by the comforting power of food. An all-round hidden gem, CGM will have you uncover a new side of town, and meet new and old friends along the way.

Bar Nico

Via Cesare Saldini, 2, 20133 Milano MI

One of the nighttime hits of Città Studi, one of the key locations of the just-finished Milan Design Week 2025, the SagomaStudio-conceived Bar Nico instantly channels the edgiest end of the Italian creative capital. A favorite of the in-the-know, art and culture crowd, "Bar Nico is where I love going for a glass of natural wine and some great company — owners Riccardo and Chiara know how to curate a bar," Giulia Castelli, founder of leading design PR platform GC AGENCY, told me a few weeks back while speaking on her go-to places to drink in Milan.

Dreamt up within an industrial building once home to a bakery by two former fashion insiders (co-founder Chiara Pino used to work as a model; Riccardo Ganelli for couture disruptor SUNNEI), Bar Nico is a wine bar and neighborhood osteria that captivates with its red light façade and expansive, floor-to-ceiling windows. Bondesque in their nature, the location's brutalist interiors could easily star as the backdrop in a film, with dramatic back-lit ceilings, sleek, minimalist countertops, and cool metallics setting the tone for a sophisticated round of drinks. Informed by the duo's travels, the wine list brings you the best of Italy and France, with a few beers, non-alcoholic options, and finger food allowing everyone to linger into the night.

Coke Tales

Via Marcello Malpighi, 1, 20129 Milano MI

At Livingetc, contemporary interior design is our bread and butter. Still, while most of the establishments included in this edit of the best bars in Milan stood out to us because of their boundary-pushing, ultra-modern decor, some got us dreaming with their winning interpretation of transitional style — marrying the best from the past with an eye for today's. Situated in the heart of Porta Venezia, minutes away from the picturesque Giardini Indro Montanelli, Milan's first gardens, Coke Tales is part of the latter. Inventively expanding on the extraordinary blend of architectural styles that come together in this area, which incorporates Liberty Style alongside less pronounced Neo-Eclectic and Art Deco elements, this intimate drinking destination marks a whimsical spot on your Milan itinerary.

Created by fashion designer Daizy Shely and her husband Flavio, Coke Tales juxtaposes ethereal decorative elements like floral frescoed walls and stuccoed ceilings with a pastel-shaded exploration of mid-century modern furniture and 1970s-style design, where unexpected shapes, twisted lines, chequered surfaces, and contrasting colors combine to an entrancing effect. Ideal for after-dinner drinks or special dates, the bar is renowned for its expansive drink offering, with a colorful, world-inspired, and beautifully plated breakfast, brunch, and tapas menu complementing the beverage game.

Onda Listening Bar

Via Bonvesin de la Riva, 3, 20129 Milano MI

Statement stainless steel walls seem to be one of the distinguishing traits of the best bars in Milan, but there is more than just one reason why I had to include Onda Listening Bar in this style-led edit. Modeled after the growing phenomenon of Japan's jazz kissa, or cafés dedicated to playing recorded jazz music, by architecture studio SOLUM, the location wows with its atmospheric mix of cement, chrome, wood, and upholstered surfaces.

The living proof that Brutalist interiors can, indeed, be as warm and welcoming, too, Onda Listening Bar centers a cultured passion for music and refined mixology to deliver a nightlife experience curated down to the finest details. At once minimal and impactful, the space is punctuated by contrasting textures, balancing the smooth with the rough, with few selected colorful accents like framed prints, red neon lights, and stacked records infusing it with rhythm. Standing tall within the listening area is a circular, filled-with-vinyls totem taking the love of sound to new heights, along with a bespoke console in wood, resting on one of Onda Listening Bar's glimmering steel countertops.

Gesto Milano

Via Giuseppe Sirtori, 15, 20129 Milano MI

Some of the best Milan bars double up as restaurants, too, and Gesto is one of them. Part of the buzzy Porta Venezia district, this creatively envisioned destination, founded in 2016 by Martina Lucattelli, is another one of the entries on this list that has tuned into the growing desire for F&B locations that pair great menu and drink offerings with an equally stand-out music collection. Following a recent revamp, the new Gesto has in fact become a cocktail and listening bar and a restaurant all in one, with multiple themed rooms, including the Disco Nostalgia, centered around timeless Italo disco hits, and the karaoke-dedicated Almost Famous one, playing a different genre for all occasions and tastes.

Much like the variety of sounds inhabiting Gesto, which hosts live jazz, bossanova, folk, and blues nights alongside DJ sets Tuesday to Sunday, the interiors are boldly eclectic. From pared-back, cement and wood chef counters adorned with ceiling murals to 1970s and 1980s-inspired, theatrical booths enriched with mirrored walls, painted furniture, thought-provoking artwork, and upholstery, Gesto is a world within a world. The same is true of its globe-trotting menu, which revisits long-cherished Milanese and Italian classics through an Oriental lens, all while offering similarly punchy, aromatic cocktails and some 120 wine options sourced from small producers.

Lubna

Via Vezza d'Oglio, 14, 20139 Milano MI

Another Porta Venezia gem, Lubna, more precisely sited in the Scalo Romana area, is a rising star on the food and beverage Milanese scene. Positioned near the upcoming Olympic Village of Milano Cortina 2026, the HENRYTIMI and DOPO? galleries, and the experimental art think tank that is Fondazione Prada, this open kitchen restaurant and listening cocktail bar is also a destination in its own right. Coming courtesy of Q-BIC, this sweeping, elegantly furnished space strips it back to the essential to redirect visitors' attention onto the quality of both decor materials and seasonal ingredients. Focused on traditional dishes from Italian cuisine, Lubna's food offering is simply earthy and delicious, thanks to chef Enrico Croatti's traveled approach to fire and charcoal cooking. Serving as the centerpiece to the location is a 15-meter-long bar and a gold-plated cocktail station with communal seating, both of which were developed to embrace the semicircular, open-air plaza in the middle of the space. It is a feature that, together with the recurring DJ sets that animate Lubna every Thursday to Saturday night, makes the Milanese hotspot the perfect place for anyone wanting to socialize in style.

Section80Bar

Via Carlo Farini, 44, 20159 Milano MI

The brainchild of Marco Orlando, founder of Milan-based video production house Section80, Section80Bar has got everything any creative-minded traveler might be looking for and more. Situated within proximity to most Milanese sites and urban junctures, from Stazione Centrale and the glass and mirror-clad Piazza Gae Aulenti to the main city parks, the venue has got some of the coolest interiors I have seen around, with opaque chrome surfaces, neon-lit ceilings, and geometrical furniture scattered throughout. Characterized by a nearly monochromatic palette, if not for the pale lime hue of its polygonal tables, Section80Bar is mainly brought to life by the thought-provoking selection of printed matter goods, records, and design collectibles that inhabit the shelves of its reading nook, the quirky graphic identity courtesy of studio La Tigre, and the rotating calendar of events that use it as their temporary base — from independent magazine launches to DJ sets, podcast, music, and film screenings.

Voce

Piano Parco, Viale Emilio Alemagna, 6, 20121 Milano MI

Whenever possible, here at Livingetc, we are eternally trying to anticipate the moments and destinations bound to be big before they become so. That's exactly why I decided to include Triennale Milano's soon-to-be-launched new space, Voce, in this curation of the best bars in Milan — so that you can put it on your radar before everyone else, for when you're next in town.

Housed on the Piano Parco of the institution's iconic headquarters, the Giovanni Muzio-designed Palazzo dell'Arte, in the western wing of the leafy Parco Sempione, Voce ("voice" in Italian) isn't your regular Milanese bar. Set to be unveiled on May 13, this 300-square-meter platform aims to be the sound and audio gallery of the future, with live entertainment, state-of-the-art music and podcast recording facilities, and site-specific audible masterpieces all contributing to making it one of the most immersive cultural experiences to catch in Milan.

Open between 10.30 and 2 AM for the first month only, and between 6 PM and 2 AM thereafter (Tuesday-Sunday), Voce boasts sci-fi-esque interiors overseen by Luca Cipelletti's Archit studio, with bespoke neon lighting by Anonima Luci, acoustic design signed by Giorgio Di Salvo, and Space Age upholstered seating by British-Canadian product designer Philippe Malouin that echoes the shape of sound waves. Most importantly, though, the location will lend its surreally beautiful framework to a cocktail bar powered by T'a Milano and helmed by Daniel dell'Olio. With sought-after established and emerging artists performing in its premises and a 700-meter garden to enjoy on the hottest nights, Voce is more than just one of the best bars in Milan — it is the next destination for die-hard audiophiles.

FAQs

How Did We Pick the Best Milan Bars?

To come up with our selection of the best bars in Milan, I relied on my inside knowledge of the city (thank my northern Italian upbringing) and its most inspiring hangouts for local creatives, as well as drawing from additional research, to identify drink destinations that capture the sophistication, playfulness, and inherently social essence of the Italian design capital. While the attention to detail and experimentation manifested by these Milan bars' mixology menus did count toward our final edit, the key ingredient that none of these hotspots could lack was extraordinarily crafted, unusual interiors. As such, this curated list of the best bars in Milan will help you uncover the most aesthetic addresses for an evening drink or pre-dinner aperitivo, wherever those might be. Plus, with the rise (and rise) of vinyl-powered listening bars, many entries on this best Milan bars roundup double up as stunning alternatives to your usual club night — so thank me later, as it's time for a boogie.

Every self-respecting Italian knows aperitivo is just the start to an even more tantalizing culinary journey. Should you be looking for recommended restaurants in Milan whose interiors lives up to the creativity of the bars outlined above, our recent selection of retro-futuristic osterias and fine dining addresses will be your shortcut to mouth-watering food, arresting design, and more.